Chihiro's Choice
by wordcandy
Summary: 10 years since she left the spirit world, Chihiro is nearly killed when she is hit by a car. Haku offers her a choice; a guaranteed lifetime of happiness or a gamble on forever. Rated T for now but it most likely go up in a few chapters


**Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Sadly I do not have a dragon of my own. Sad day. . .**

It has been ten years since her trip to the spirit world. In those ten years she had been bullied and ridiculed for her crazy stories about spirits and dragons. Everyone, including her parents, thought she was insane. When she was fifteen, she overheard her parents talk about sending her for psychiatric help. She never spoke of the spirit world again, but she never stopped believing. She had developed what some people would consider an unhealthy obsession with dragons, and often found herself touching the necklace that graced her neck at all times. It was a braided band of fine green hair like fibers with a single glimmering scale dangling from it as a pendent. Everyone thought it was simple green thread with a shell and found it odd that no matter what the occasion she never took it off.

Now at twenty years of age she stood outside a restaurant, waiting for Michi, the one friend she had so that they could have dinner before going out for Chihiro's birthday. She would be twenty one in three days. She pulled her coat around her with one hand, while the other absently fingered the shell and she thought back to when she had gotten it.

_I should have looked back, I know he told me not to, but I should have. I met with my parents and we made our way to our new home. They were grumbling about stomach aches and couldn't figure out why they had no memory of the last week. I tried to tell them and they told me to stop telling stories. We got to the house and I let them deal with the movers as I sat out on the back porch thinking about my time in the spirit world. I had only been gone twenty minutes and I already missed everyone terribly. I shifted my weight and felt something in my back pocket. I pulled it out; it was the very necklace that I wear to this day and a folded piece of paper. With shaking hands I unfolded it and discovered it to be a letter. _

_**Dearest Chihiro, **_

_**When I promised that we would see each other again I meant it. I fully intend to keep my promise to you, but in order for me to do so you must do three things. You must always put others before yourself. No matter who they are or what they've done you must be selfless. Second, you must never stop believing. Lastly, you must put this necklace on and never take it off. It is imperative that you do this Chihiro. NEVER take it off. Do these three things and you will see me again, please don't make a liar out of me Chihiro. Everyone misses you and sends their love. **_

_**Love, **_

_**Haku **_

She had done as he asked and never took off the necklace, the scale had once settled nicely between her collar bones, but now it was a choker, snug around her neck.

"Hey look it's the freak!" Chihiro was ripped from her thoughts as two boys that had bullied her for the past ten years walked up to her.

"You know, that choker of hers looks more like a dog collar than a necklace. Where's your master little dog?"

Chiriro closed her eyes and tried to ignore the hurtful words. With her eyes closed her other senses became more sensitive; she picked up the scent of alcohol. Great. . . They're drunk.

"You know what, you're right it does look like a dog collar, but there's no way this freak has a master. Must be a stray, and strays don't wear collars." The first boy reached up to rip the choker from her neck and she shoved him back. In his drunken stupor he stumbled back several steps into the road, he was seconds away from being hit by a car and without even thinking Chihiro leapt from the safety of the sidewalk and with all her strength pushed the much larger boy out of the way.

Bright lights, the sound of tires squealing and then pain. So much pain. She flew back ten or so feet at the impact and her head hit the pavement. Haku's words ran through her mind, _you must always put others before yourself. No matter who they are or what they've done you must be selfless, _and then her world went black.

"Chihiro," Someone was calling her name, "Chihiro, wake up."

She opened her eyes and was blinded by pure white light. She clamped her eyes closed again and then ever so slowly let them slide open. Standing before her was a young man with greenish black hair and beautiful emerald eyes, he looked like and older version of. . . it clicked.

"Haku!" She leaped into his arms and hugged him like her life depended on it. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too Chihiro. I promised you would see me again, so here I am."

She looked around and saw only endless amounts of white, nothing but white. "Where are we? I'm dreaming aren't I?"

"Yes, in a way you are dreaming. We're inside your mind."

She looked at him dumbfounded, "what do you mean 'in my mind'?"

"Do you remember what happened before you woke up here?"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah those guys were picking on me, one of them tried to pull off my necklace and. . . oh God. I'm dead."

"You're not dead." Under his breath he added "Yet."

"What do you mean 'Yet'? Haku, tell me what's going on!"

"Your body is on an operating table, and your heart has stopped."

"I'm dead!" She interrupted him

"Chihiro! Let me finish. Please!" She nodded for him to continue. He let out a sigh and started again, "Maybe I should start with something else. Okay, when humans die there are three things that can become of their souls. First, if the human lives a corrupt life of greed, anger, or hatred their soul is cast below to the underworld. If they live a life that is more or less good, making a few mistakes but for the most part being a good person they carry on to the afterlife. Last, if a human lives a selfless and humble life they are offered the chance to become a spirit. Now you, Chihiro, may have been spoiled and selfish as a child but for the last ten years have always put others first. Infact the reason why your heart has stopped is because you made the ultimate sacrifice, giving your life in the place of someone else's even though that person had been cruel to you for years. That being said, because of the band Zeniba gave you, you have a choice. You can let your body be resuscitated or you can let go."

Chihiro opened her mouth to speak but Haku covered it with his hand.

"Wait. Before you answer I still have more to tell you. If you choose to be resuscitated, the magic of the band will be gone. You'll no longer be protected. However, because of that necklace I am in your mind and from here can pass through to the human world. I will no longer be a spirit but I would be with you. On the other hand, if you choose to let go and allow your human body to perish that does not guarantee that you will become a spirit. Yes, the chances are high that you will be allowed to roam the spirit world for several thousand years but there is always that small chance that you'll have to go straight to the afterlife, and before you say what I know you want to say; human afterlife and spirit afterlife are not the same. If you are sent there you'll never see me again.

Those were her options. Guarantee her happiness for a lifetime or gamble on forever?

**A/N: So there it is. What do you guys think, what should she pick, leave me with some reviews! But I will tell you, I already know which one I leaning towards but I still want your input.**


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